TeenLife Blog

Snow: you either hate it or love it. In New England, it’s hard to hate the snow. Hating snow in New England is like working at a coffee shop and hating coffee; or voluntarily going to the mall when you hate shopping. Snow is simply equated with winter here—something you have to get used to and something you’ll never escape (unless you move out west or down south. In that case, be sure to avoid Atlanta). This winter has been particularly snowy, with countless hits from polar vortexes and arctic blasts. The snow has almost become an inside joke here ...

Teenagers and their parents should always communicate with one another about sexuality. Sexuality isn’t just about sex - it is also about healthy relationships, body image, reproduction, gender, sexual orientation, sexual behavior, and preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. There are so many opportunities to talk! Parents and Teens and Sex A recent survey conducted by Planned Parenthood Federation of America revealed that while parents feel comfortable talking to their teens about topics related to sex, teens aren’t so comfortable with the conversation. At Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM), we want to help parents AND teens! We know that ...

After receiving offers of admission from multiple colleges, students and parents wonder how they will choose. If you’re uncertain, and even if you’re not, the best thing you can do is revisit the colleges on your list of acceptances. Since college is a major purchase and a 4-year commitment, it makes sense to go to the respective campuses one last time before making your final decision. Why revisit a college? Now that you are accepted into a particular college, you can think more realistically about about your future life there. You want to be able to picture yourself on campus—in ...

I got a letter from the Dean! I’m in! For a high school student, there is something undeniably exciting about being the recipient of an unsolicited brochure from a prestigious university, or even better yet, a personalized letter from the Dean of Admissions practically begging you to apply. Unfortunately, this material usually has about as much value as the L.L. Bean catalog that arrived in the same stack of mail. It’s no great secret that in the age of U.S. News rankings, colleges are engaged in a never-ending battle to reject more applicants every year as evidence of their selectivity. ...

Hello again. For this installment of Applied Knowledge, I’m going to step briefly away from getting into college and write about something even more important (and there are more important things out there!). What should you and I do once we get there? Planning Your Future While I do not know your area of interest, I know that mine is unequivocally written journalism, and in the following words I’ll speak about how I arrived at that choice, a choice which will inevitably have a huge effect on the rest of my life. I began showing interest in the field early, ...

How important is sportsmanship for young athletes? Marcus Smart Pushing "Incident" Marcus Smart is a 19 year-old star college basketball player for Oklahoma State and considered a definite NBA draft pick. Although Smart may be destined to break NBA records, right now he is infamous for shoving a fan at recent game against Texas Tech. In the closing seconds of the game, Smart fell out of bounds and into a group of spectators. While he was being helped up, a fan said something that really upset him (Smart has said it was a racial slur but the fan adamantly denies ...

Applying to college is a stressful and busy time for all teenagers. Waiting for an acceptance letter is even worse! We're here to debunk common myths about college admission. Download Myth #1: An applicant should try to present as “well-rounded” to please admissions committees This myth remains pervasive among nervous applicants and their families. Sadly this misconception usually ends with many applicants entering their admissions interviews dressed in a safari outfit while simultaneously riding a unicycle, playing a didgeridoo, and explaining their design plans for a Super Soaker that combats diabetes. Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration, but the bottom line ...

Even if your children are in middle school, it is not too early to start saving those “Bed Bath & Beyond” (BB&B) coupons for when it’s time to outfit their college dorm room. Despite believing your children will never be old enough to go off to college, your kids will fly the coop sooner than you can imagine. Dorm Room Essentials It is amazing how many items on the college dorm room checklist you can find in one store – whether you shop at BB&B or Target or your favorite local department store. Freshman need bedding (XL twin sheets, blankets, ...

The New Year is a chance to look ahead and resolve to do better in the future. At Raleigh International we will be focusing on the potential of young people in 2014 - young people who have the energy and determination to make things happen and inspire change, especially when it comes to helping others. We believe in making the most of that potential and driving it forward to help young people achieve positive change. More than that, we truly believe that young peoples’ passion and creativity can contribute to sustainable development. We recently released a survey demonstrating that the ...

With FAFSA season fast approaching, you no longer have the luxury of long-term financial planning for college unless you happen to stumble upon a 1985 Delorean fully- loaded with a flux capacitor (in which case you should pull a Biff, bet on future sports events, and not even worry about financial aid). Space-time continuum transcending scenarios aside, here are some essential strategies for maximizing your federal aid. 1. Don’t assume that you are too wealthy to be eligible for aid Common sense would tell you that a family living in a 20,000-square-foot McMansion, driving matching his/her Maseratis, and spending Sunday ...

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